it wouldn’t be fair to call the XploreAir Paravelo the world’s first flying bicycle, as the world have seen a handful of attempts (including this one here). however, the Paravelo would be the first bicycle to achieve practical, sustainable flight of up to a ceiling of 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) and attains an air speed of 25 mph (40 km/h or about 22 knots) and makes 15 mph (24 km/h) on land. obviously, we can’t expect our humanly legs to power us through the air at 25 mph for 3 hours each time and so the Paravelo’s specially designed bike-airframe is fused with a bio-fuel sipping motor that drives a large rotor fan and a flexible wing (more like a paraglider) to achieve that result. and mind you, this is not a whiteboard stuff – this thing really takes flight. though it would require an open space without obstructions (and reasonable level ground) about the size of a football pitch to take-off. there’s no talk about its landing, but it is safe to assume the same amount of space would be required, so your hope to take this to your local shopping mall might be dashed somewhat – unless the mall happens to have a large open ground next to it (if not, you might as well cycle there, or look forward to the Hirobo HX-1).

being a true flight machine, the Paravelo Flying Bicycle also includes a GPS tracker that plots the bike’s movements on the land and in the air, a NiteFire strobe handlebar for air safety and it will be completely designed and built in the UK. we not quite sure when this will be a reality, but the duo behind this awesome project, John Foden and Yannick Read, has taken to Kickstarter in hope to secure £50,000 for the development of this aircraft so that you can eventually buy it off the shelf. so, this is one of those Kickstarter projects that you don’t actually get the product per say, but more like being an “investor” to help kick the project off the ground. but like all Kickstarter projects, you have other rewards in return for your support. pledges start at £5 and up. no word of the eventual price of this flying bicycle, though. scroll down to see the XploreAir Paravelo in action.

PS: we understand. this isn’t a true flying bicycle (more like a para-bike), because it is not pedal-powered and it has no real wings. but let’s get this straight: you don’t really expect our non-superhuman legs can take us to the sky, do you? just saying…